T HE INN AT BURKLYN
LEFT: Marci decorated the library as she imagined Elmer Darling would have used it, with a handsome velvet blue sofa and areas for reading and playing chess. RIGHT: The light fixture in the library is believed to be Tiffany; its silk top has long since disintegrated, and what is left of its fringe is uneven, but Marci considers it a treasure no less.
details were in abundance as well: rich mahogany paneling and hand-carved wood accents, custom crystal sconces and extravagant plaster moldings, and ten marble fireplaces— one even crowned with the Darling family’ s crest.
When Marci and Jim first laid eyes on Burklyn, it was every bit the noble manse they had imagined, save for some rough edges, such as the porch(“ falling in,” says Marci) and the paint( a medley of every hue of yellow). Inside, they found that the grand staircase was missing more than
78 VERMONT MAGAZINE a few balusters, and at least half of the eighteen bedrooms appeared to have been left empty and collecting dust for years. But even through the disrepair and dated decor, the couple could see Elmer Darling’ s creation for what it was:“ Too beautiful to let go of,” says Marci.
Still, it was too much house for just the two of them. That night, Jim stayed up late devising a plan that would enable them to keep it, and come morning, he had the answer: Burklyn Hall might not make financial sense, but The Inn at Burklyn? That just might work. Marci and Jim would relocate to Vermont, renovate the estate, and once completed, hire an innkeeper to run the place.“ We saw it as a retirement project,” Jim says.“ I was going to have fun doing all the moldings and the woodwork. Marci was going to give the entire place her designer’ s touch. And then we’ d go back to California and have a nice passive income.”
Renovations began in earnest. First things first, Jim brought in an electrician and a plumber.